MANILA, Philippines — “Eat Bulaga” host and “Dubsmash Queen” Maine Mendoza has been receiving praises from other celebrities for her “open letter” to fans that asked for freedom from expectations, most especially when it comes to her real relationship with love team partner Alden Richards.
According to the letter posted on Twitter, Maine said she and Alden are “just friends.”
READ: ‘I feel like living in a box’: Maine Mendoza asks fans for freedom
While many AlDub fans are not happy about the letter, many celebrities like Ai Ai delas Alas, Christine Bersola-Babao, Gabbi Garcia, and most recently, perhaps even Vice Ganda, have given Maine a pat in the back for her “brave” revelations. These stars' recent Twitter response to Maine described her as "courageous."
Similarly, Maine’s fellow actress who was once linked to Alden, Sam Pinto, showed her support for Maine.
In an interview with Philstar.com on Wednesday following her launch as Usana's Celavive skincare line ambassador, Sam said: “I’m happy that she (Maine) came out with it (open letter). I’m sure it’s hard for her to keep that inside, so finally she’s spoken out about it.”
Sam reportedly once dated Alden but did not have a relationship with him because she is older.
“I think, as a celebrity, you should be one controlling them (fans) because you’re the one influencing them on how they look, their style. It shouldn’t be the other way around,” said Sam, whose character, Diana, was recently killed off by Richard Gutierrez in the hit ABS-CBN series, “La Luna Sangre.”
Sam said she enjoyed playing an antagonist like Diana because it allows her to be a little darker and deeper. “I like bad guy roles. Because it’s fun to do and you can play around the character. You can do or say stuff that you think you can’t do in real life.”
Sam was once Maine’s fellow Kapuso star as part of the cast of GMA’s gag show “Bubble Gang.”
Team SaMisagh
Though Sam and her boyfriend, Misagh Bahadoran of the Philippine football team, are not as famous as AlDub, Sam said she and Misagh are lucky they really were not bashed in their two years of being together.
“Because we’re just really chill. And if we do get a bash, I’ll just say, ‘Okay, that’s what you think!’”
She confessed that Misagh has not taught her to play football because whenever she runs, she thinks people laugh at her.
“I force him to surf. He tries naman pero feeling pro eh!” she said of her beau.
“Since he’s always out of the country for games and I’m always in Baler, whenever we meet, it’s just gonna be us.”
She shared that she and Misagh bond by watching Netflix and eating pizza in bed. She just recently finished watching the last two available episodes of “Riverdale,” and she also enjoyed the Selena Gomez-produced series “13 Reasons Why.”
Similarly, for those who want to succeed in their #LifeGoals and #RelationshipGoals, Sam advised: “Just follow your heart and your dreams. Whatever you do, it’s going to be successful because it’s what you love to do!”